Paper Towns

Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nothing ever happens like you imagine it will. But then again, if you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all.

The protagonist, Quentin (a.k.a. "Q") loves Margo Roth Spiegelman. That or he just loves the idea of loving her. They're next-door neighbors and have known each other since they were little. They found a dead body together. That would have meant sharing something deep that will bind them forever, but life happened. They went on their separate social circles, until they picked each other again for one unforgettable and vengeful adventure.

She's a mystery to him and he would go through exhausting journeys to find her without entertaining disappointment and near-death experiences. But did Q just misimagined her and thought of her more than just a person or a girl? Maybe he loved her for the way she made him let go of his fears, which liberated him. She was like a mirror he needed to face so he can see the real him. Without that mirror, he's lost.

Everything started from a story written on a black moleskin notebook. It turned out, they were not paper girl/boy after all. They discover that they're more than just flimsy, foldable, two-dimensional beings living in a paper town. The middle part as slow-paced. The characters were in the middle of a sleuth to solve the enigma that is Margo Roth Spiegelman. There was a roadtrip. This part builds up towards an ending that would shed light on it all. It was bittersweet.

"Paper Towns" deals with the usual coming-of-age themes like hope, love (even unrequited ones), family, friendship, fear and the feeling of belonging. But it was told in a way that is not like the usual YA novels I read. There were psychobabble, poetry and a lot of metaphors. It was not really a happy ending. Some people may hate that. I guess I like it because the goodbye makes it more real. We can't have everything we want. Sometimes, we must all go through our journeys apart.

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An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The thing about chameleoning your way through life is that it gets to where nothing is real.

There is this child prodigy who tries to explain his penchant for girls named Katherine with some graphs and mathematical equations to form The Love Theorem. Then, there is this girl (not named Katherine) who thinks she is not living the life she wanted to live. All she wanted is to matter. They meet. They become friends. They shared laughter, tears, adventures, misadventures and a secret hiding place.

I am not into tangents and equations. Learning a new language is cool, but reading through a book and checking the meaning every so often of a word I don't understand can hamper my groove. On the other hand, there are still quotable lines. I like the Hassan-Colin friendship and the way they click. I think this is also the funniest John Green book I have read so far. I rate it 3 and a half stars.

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Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken.

Miles Halter, a.k.a. Pudge, is the main protagonist of the story. His story started when he decided to change his boring existence. He left his parents for boarding school, made friends, fell in love and coped with the death of someone special. He met other colorful, clever and funny characters including Alaska Young. He goes through this roller-coaster journey where there's a lot of smoking and booze, with a dash of pranks and heartbreaks, sprinkled with teenage angst and hormones.

This is the second John Green book I've read. It still has its winning combination of witty and funny, which made me fall in love with his writing, but this one is also unexpectedly philosophical. Like his other book "The Fault in Our Stars", "Looking for Alaska" is another young adult/coming-of-age novel that touches similar topics such as friendship, love and death.

Yes, this book still has a lot of quotable quotes that really touched me. No, I did not cry as much as I cried in "The Fault in Our Stars" probably because the discussions about religion and spirituality did not really make me want to bawl out. This book made me stop, stare and think, "How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?" The next thing I know... Poof! Another John Green novel off my to-read list.


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Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I guess that's what saying goodbye is always like-- like jumping off an edge. The worst part is making the choice to do it. Once you're in the air, there's nothing you can do but let go.

Imagine reliving the last day of your life over and over. You may not change the final outcome, but you get a chance to redeem yourself, make your last day more special and make your existence more meaningful. That's what happened to Samantha Kingston (Sam), the protagonist of this story. She needed a "wake-up call" in order to let go of her shallowness and realize the important aspects of life-- family, real friends, true love; and the lessons she needed to learn-- acceptance, non-judgement, respect.

The book began at the end and revolved around it. Initially, it was a bit slow-paced for me. The middle part became more intriguing and dealt with emotions I never anticipated. It's one of those young adult novels that deal with death but is not really as morbid as it sounds because the story is told from a young person's perspective. I developed a love-hate relationship with Sam as I read through her story. The ending was a bit abrupt and predictable but the cycle I had to go through before reaching that ending is unexpectedly enjoyable.

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The Fault in our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

[WARNING: May contain spoilers]

My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations.

I am still attempting to think as the story replays in my head and I wait for my eyes to un-puff themselves. If someone witnessed my outburst a few minutes ago, they would think I was crazy for sobbing and laughing at the same time. I cannot remember ever reading a book that made me react that way. This is not my regular young adult love story. It is also not the usual coping-with-dying or death plot I am used to. It's funny, witty, endearing and heartbreaking. This book made me feel a myriad of things rolled into one.

Sixteen-year-old Hazel and seventeen-year-old Gus, both terminally ill with cancer, fell in love amidst their battle against human consciousness. Their story is neither mushy nor morbid. They met in a Cancer Kid Support Group, shared their interest for a novel by a reclusive author named Peter Van Houten, and planned a trip to Amsterdam. This charming, sarcastic and intelligent couple are surrounded by supportive parents and a surprisingly goofy friend named Isaac. This story narrates how they found forever within their numbered days.

If you want to know why time is a slut, read this book.
If you want to know how some infinities are bigger than other infinities, read this book.
If you want to know how pain demands to be felt, read this book.

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